Which of these old 30 footers goes to windward best and in most comfort?

[Kukri]

Rustler 31, Nic 31, , She 31?

(Nic 35, Hustler 35, She 36 as outside contenders, i.e. if within budget they are probably knackered!)

 

[KellysEye]

Most comfort is a long keel with cutaway forfoot Vancouver 32/36 are examples.

 

[Kukri]

Yes but I can't afford one!

 

[prv]

I haven't sailed any of them, but looking at the hulls on the Yachtsnet site I would have thought the She would be the fastest / most weatherly with its more modern design. The interior seems a bit odd, though, and I reckon either of the other two would be more sea-kindly.

http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/she-31/she-31.htm
http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/nicholson-31/nicholson-31.htm
http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/rustler-31/rustler-31.htm

Pete

 

[TQA]

Hmm 30 footer going well to windward in comfort that will be easy to find.

You don't specify the budget but I will take the Bene First 305 to be the winner to windward compared with the boats you mention.

 

[sarabande]

She's are rather racy, great upwind but not so hot down. Rather wet, IIRC. n I'd go for the Nick as the best combination all round. Good residuals too, and enough woodwork to keep the skipper happy with his little pot of varnish

 

[charles_reed]

She 31 as the best all-rounder.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

She 31 as the best all-rounder.

Yep, I'd agree with that.

If you can stretch to a She 36, that is truly special boat to sail.... and unbelievably secure in a blow...... but small below for a 36'er by modern standards.

 

[Bajansailor]

Please also include an S & S 34 in your short list - and if one comes up for a reasonable price, grab it.
Their reputation is unparalleled, and with justification.
I crewed on one (Morning Flight) from the Caribbean to Newport, Rhode Island, and she was an absolute delight to sail. As the wind picked up, she just settled down and stomped along, beautifully balanced all the time with 2 fingers on the tiller (I would disconnect the Monitor wind vane on my watches, as she was such a joy to helm).
Here is the S & S Association :
http://www.ss34.org/

This is what Wiki says about them (and it seems pretty accurate).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&S_34

Here is one for sale in Dublin, but they do want rather a lot of Euros for her :
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1973/S&s-34-2564410/Dublin/Ireland#.Ubz_etiSyAk

 

[Kukri]

Yep, I'd agree with that.

If you can stretch to a She 36, that is truly special boat to sail.... and unbelievably secure in a blow...... but small below for a 36'er by modern standards.

Thanks.

The She 36 comes up as top of the pops and probably worth waiting and saving up for, because of two qualities that I like above all - she is elegant and is reputed to handle very well.

What I need to know is how practical she is as a singlehander - I am reasonably competent at it - and what she is like on the helm - two fingers on the tiller is the ideal, having my arm yanked out is not what I like!

I am probably NOT going to sail her much singlehanded but I have an absolute rule that I will never own a boat that needs a crew, because of all the problems of depending on others...

So...

Can the primaries be reached from the helm, etc?

Is she wet?

Is she twitchy? (I sailed on an S&S boat - a generation earlier with short keel and attached rudder - which was beautiful and wonderfully built but was an absolute swine, requring armfuls of wheel...)

Thanks!

 

[Kukri]

She 31 as the best all-rounder.

Thanks - there is one in a local yard which quietly says "buy me!" every time I walk past her...

Don't they have "very Sixties" accomodation, with a dinette/double and galley down t'other side, though?

 

[Kukri]

Please also include an S & S 34 in your short list - and if one comes up for a reasonable price, grab it.
Their reputation is unparalleled, and with justification.
I crewed on one (Morning Flight) from the Caribbean to Newport, Rhode Island, and she was an absolute delight to sail. As the wind picked up, she just settled down and stomped along, beautifully balanced all the time with 2 fingers on the tiller (I would disconnect the Monitor wind vane on my watches, as she was such a joy to helm).
Here is the S & S Association :
http://www.ss34.org/

This is what Wiki says about them (and it seems pretty accurate).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&S_34

Here is one for sale in Dublin, but they do want rather a lot of Euros for her :
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1973/S&s-34-2564410/Dublin/Ireland#.Ubz_etiSyAk

I've always liked them and one is on the list but probably beyond my budget at the moment.

 

[sailorman]

Rustler 31, Nic 31, , She 31?

(Nic 35, Hustler 35, She 36 as outside contenders, i.e. if within budget they are probably knackered!)

Kim Holman owned a H35 that he designed, that should be testament enough

 

[doug748]

The She is a very different boat to the Rustler and Nic, I have no doubt you have inspected the diffferences in displacement. She also has a unusually short waterline length, and much less canvas.

On paper you might expect her to be fast in lighter winds and be overhauled by the others as the wind piped up. Of course boats are not sailed on paper (as they say).

If Kellyseye theory is accurate, then you might expect the Nic 31 to be the answer to your original question, as it has a very similar underwater set up to the Vancouvers. I doubt it would be very much more comfortable than the Rustler though.

A pal of mine has a Nicholson 31 and I have raced against her many times, lovely boat. She tends to beat me in strong reaching winds and I sometimes have the edge tacking, in lighter winds. The Nic would be my choice if you can find one at the right price.

The larger She is a grand looking boat but, as you have said, finding one cheap would be harder then difficult.

A couple of years ago I asked, on this forum, why Hustler 35s tended to be inexpensive whist superficially looking a similar boat to the She. I was told they have a number of constructional difficulties and can be very expensive to sort out.

 

[Kukri]

Kim Holman owned a H35 that he designed, that should be testament enough

Yes but - Kim Holman routinely owned one of almost everything that he designed! It was in fact his route to fame and fortune as a designer - helped by having a brother who was a boatbuilder, and a small initial legacy... of course, most of his boats are outstanding...

 

[Kukri]

The She is a very different boat to the Rustler and Nic, I have no doubt you have inspected the diffferences in displacement. She also has a unusually short waterline length, and much less canvas.

On paper you might expect her to be fast in lighter winds and be overhauled by the others as the wind piped up. Of course boats are not sailed on paper (as they say).

If Kellyseye theory is accurate, then you might expect the Nic 31 to be the answer to your original question, as it has a very similar underwater set up to the Vancouvers. I doubt it would be very much more comfortable than the Rustler though.

A pal of mine has a Nicholson 31 and I have raced against her many times, lovely boat. She tends to beat me in strong reaching winds and I sometimes have the edge tacking, in lighter winds. The Nic would be my choice if you can find one at the right price.

The larger She is a grand looking boat but, as you have said, finding one cheap would be harder then difficult.

A couple of years ago I asked, on this forum, why Hustler 35s tended to be inexpensive whist superficially looking a similar boat to the She. I was told they have a number of constructional difficulties and can be very expensive to sort out.

Thanks for a very helpful post.

 

[sailorman]

Yes but - Kim Holman routinely owned one of almost everything that he designed! It was in fact his route to fame and fortune as a designer - helped by having a brother who was a boatbuilder, and a small initial legacy... of course, most of his boats are outstanding...

At least Kims sailed well, which is more than can be said of another prolific East Coast designer

 

[Kukri]

At least Kims sailed well, which is more than can be said of another prolific East Coast designer

...not unconnected with the Yachting Monthly!

I seem to think that Kim Holman was at one point a draftsman with Jack Jones, as was the less well known Peter Brown; Kim came into some money and took off on his own.

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

Also have a look at a Contest 31. Noy a lot of money either....

 

[michael_w]

Buy a Scampi you want a real 30' upwind rocket ship. She'll leave the others far behind with more space below decks to boot.